


Ordinary World

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Death of Shara Bey, Enemies to Lovers, High School Student Ben Solo, High School Student Poe Dameron, M/M, Minor Armitage Hux/Phasma, Minor Jessika Pava/Paige Tico, Popular Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 13:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20892680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: In which Poe makes an enemy of Ben Solo — and Ben can’t seem to leave him alone.





	Ordinary World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MidgardianNerd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidgardianNerd/gifts).

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Author’s Notes: Because I’ve seen scenarios where Poe’s the popular kid (and in a few fics I read, the bully) and Ben’s unpopular, and I decided to flip it. (Minus Ben being the bully) Special thanks to MidgardianNerd for her help!

If his mother hadn’t got sick and passed away when she did, Poe doubted that he’d be there. He could only hope that he and Rey were making her proud even as he drove his car (which he called Black One) up to the school they were going to attend. Sixteen years old, and ready to be transplanted into a completely different place. Even as Rey sat in the car to admire it, Poe couldn’t help but hope they were both up to the challenge. 

***

Entering the school — Chandrila High — Poe had to admit that he wasn’t sure that he liked it. Rey followed not far behind him, seeming, if anything, awed. 

Poe wasn’t going to lie; he envied her. 

Even as they approached the glass doors, Rey turned to look at him. “Not really like Yavin, is it?” she said. 

Poe shrugged. “Not really.” He hoped that his aversion wasn’t blatantly showing on his face. He didn’t want to worry his little sister too much. 

He opened the door. Inside, the lobby was empty so far. Good. Poe sat on the black leather couch, taking out his phone. Best to kill some time on the Internet before class, and then, hopefully, get through the day as quickly as possible. Life in fast forward, baby. 

Then the glass door all but slammed open and people flooded in, talking about their summers and whatnot. Well, this got interesting in a hurry, Poe couldn’t help but think. He was about to put his headphones in, block out the noise, when Poe saw the girl head over to them. 

She was pretty, Poe thought. Pretty, with her hair tied back in a ponytail. Asian, wearing a Chandrila High T-shirt. Probably not much older than he and Rey were, actually. “Hey!” she said. “Can’t say that I’ve seen you two around before. You new?”

Poe nodded. 

“I’m Jessika. You can call me Jess.” The girl was a little too perky and upbeat for this early in the day, Poe couldn’t help but think. Was it something in the water she was drinking? “And you are...?”

”Poe. And this is Rey.”

Jess nodded. “Interesting names.”

Well, it was a step up from his preschool days, Poe thought, when he had been subjected to Teletubbies jokes. And his middle school days, when a teacher had, in her infinite wisdom, decided to make a “The Raven” reference, much to Poe’s embarrassment and the class’ amusement. (Poe hadn’t read Edgar Allen Poe yet, but he could only assume that the guy was a giant douchebag just for having that last name) Rey, meanwhile, had had endless puns made about her name, something that still irritated her. 

“Look, I’m sure you’re very nice, Jess...” Poe trailed off. “I...never mind. Rey and I could use a guide in this weird place.”

”Well, I can help!” Jess said. 

Poe smiled faintly. Seemed like he’d made his first friend. 

***

History was Poe’s first class of the day, English Rey’s. Poe looked back at her before he left, irrationally hoping that Rey could survive in this place — then again, why wouldn’t she? She was only sixteen, like him, but she was tough. 

Poe was sitting with Jess in history class, just in front of Jess’ girlfriend, Paige Tico, when a whole group of people entered. There was a young man with jet black curly hair leading them, and he was pretty muscular. Big, Poe couldn’t help but think, even for a kid his age. No, especially for a kid his age. With him was a gangly redhead with an arm around a girl who was taller than he was, with blond hair in a ponytail. Next to them was an African American male teenager, dressed in a long leather jacket. They looked good, Poe would admit. Next to them, he felt almost underdressed. 

Jess rolled her eyes. “Oh. Well, I didn’t miss these assholes.”

”Assholes?” Poe said. 

“Ben Solo and his friends,” Jess said. Ahead of them, Ben and company sat down. Well, Poe thought, it would be a bitch to see the board. Ben was tall. Poe couldn’t help but notice the little freckles on the back of his neck. “He’s the fucking golden boy of our school. People think he’s perfect. Even though he’s a stuck-up, entitled pissbaby used to Mommy and Daddy spoiling him.”

Poe raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”

Jess snorted. “I’ve been at this school long enough to know this kid. Believe me. And good luck avoiding him; you’ll run into him sooner or later.”

Poe sighed. So he ran into the archetypal Popular Asshole. Rey had dragged him into watching Mean Girls with her, so he knew the drill. Usually applied to girls in those films, but it wasn’t like guys were immune either. 

“Great,” Poe said, sarcastically. “I always wanted an archnemesis.”

Even as the history teacher, Cassian Andor, entered the room, Poe was relieved even as he started talking about the history of the United States. All the while, Poe could swear that Ben Solo was actually looking at him. Or was he looking at Jess? Poe couldn’t say. Didn’t this douchebag realize that Jess was taken, and that she probably wouldn’t go out with him even if she wasn’t? 

Cassian Andor cleared his throat. “Is there something you’d like to share with the class, Mr. Solo?”

”It’s nothing,” Ben snapped, and besides being surprised that Ben’s voice was deeper than you’d expect a sixteen year old’s to be, Poe felt a prickle of irritation. How could he disrespect a teacher like that? 

“What’s your problem?” Poe said. “Just because the school adores you doesn’t mean you can talk back to a teacher like that.”

Ben actually looked a bit taken aback. Probably the first time someone called him out, Poe thought. Score one for Poe Dameron. 

Mr. Andor spoke. “Young man, I’ll deal with Mr. Solo as I see fit. The effort is appreciated, but it’s unnecessary.”

Not so much a score, Poe thought. Maybe half a point. A quarter point. 

***

Ben Solo wasn’t going to lie; he couldn’t take his eyes off the new kid. Even the way his eyes seemed to come to life in that moment, when he snapped back at him...

He wasn’t dressed in “cool” clothes. It didn’t matter. Ben was all but ensnared by him, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted the spell to be broken just yet. 

“He doesn’t know anything about you,” Phasma said even as they left. To add insult to injury, Ben had gotten detention from Mr. Andor for snapping at him. It wasn’t like it was his fault. He’d been embarrassed — embarrassed at how easily this kid had gotten to him. 

“I wish he did.”

Phasma snorted. “He doesn’t mean anything. You’ll never see him again anyway.”

And yet, Ben thought, he meant a lot to Ben, right here, right now. He’d come around. Ben could hope. 


End file.
